Metroid X
by Knuckles19
Summary: After Metroid Fusion. Samus has returned to GF HQ to report the situation on the B.S.L. station. Having gone against the Federation's will, she must now comply with a new assignment to avoid a rough future with the Feds. Chapter 4- A Hunter Reborn
1. New Assignment

Location: Hunter Type 2 Gunship, Registered to Samus Aran  
  
From The Log of Samus Aran: I'd been told to leave Biologic's research vessel and leave the SA-X to the Galactic Federation. Knowing that they would have been torn apart, I took it upon myself to terminate the station, and planet SR-388 in the process. However, I knew that there would be dire consequences for going against their will, and I couldn't avoid them for the rest of my life. My computer, Adam, told me that they might show some leniency for the past situations in which I had done the work of an entire army in their place.  
  
I appeared before the highest ranking officers of the Federation and explained the power of the SA-X and the choice I had been presented with. I told them of the heartless attacks, the ability to assimilate knowledge and power from a life form, and how they left their prey for dead after they acquired what they needed. As they talked amongst themselves and deliberated my fate, I felt that they were somehow less angered than I would have expected them to be. They seemed at ease, as if they had never needed an X specimen in the first place. After half an hour of discussion, they presented me with two options. I could either serve fifty hours on an excavation project on Tallon IV, or I could be serve twenty years in solitary confinement. Knowing that I could never remain stationary for twenty years, I accepted the offer to help them on Tallon IV.  
  
Location: Skies Of Tallon IV  
  
As I began the landing procedures near the GF defense parameter, I noticed that several Hunter Class ships had set up camps around a main Federation carrier. I could only guess that they were being paid. Otherwise, a hunter would generally ignore any requests from the Feds. I let the newly installed auto-pilot land the craft while I went to change into my fusion armor. I knew that it had the same functions as my old power suit, but I was questioning the full potential of it, since there were no X parasites on Tallon IV. The only concerns I had were of remaining metroids from my last visit to this world, and Phazon, the radioactive substance that could kill or mutate any organism it came to touch.  
  
Location: Tallon IV, Recruiting Station  
  
As I came to the Federation Carrier, I was sent to a desk to be assigned a task. I didn't want to stay on this world any longer than I had to. That's when I noticed him. In the line next to me, I noticed someone wearing a suit of Fusion Armor identical to my own. I could only guess that the Feds were pleased with the power a Fusion Suit could generate. Then I came to the desk. I continued to eye him, until I he disappeared into the crowd.  
  
The clerk at the desk then searched her files. "Ah yes, Samus Aran. You're the Hero from a few years ago, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. That's me." It felt good to be known, but there were times when I wish that the Feds didn't make my work public.  
  
"Well, we're going to have you working in the mining tunnels in the Magmoor Region. You'll be working with a man by the name of Jack Cirrus. Here's the paperwork that covers all of the formalities." She handed me several forms and what seemed to be waivers, probably to state that GF officials couldn't be held responsible for any injuries or accidental deaths. "Just fill these out and rest up. The main excavation begins tomorrow."  
  
"Thanks. By the way, what exactly are the Federation officials looking for anyway?" I knew that she would be ignorant of their true intentions, but I thought I should try to get a general idea of what I'd have to pull them out of this time. I also had a guess, but I wanted to assume the best until I had to face a worst case scenario.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I've heard some rumors about a new energy supply that could help drive the Space Pirates away from the Earth." She then called more applicants as I turned to return to my ship.  
  
Location: Hunter Type 2 Gunship, Recently Stationed Campsite  
  
I breathed a heavy sigh as I looked over the forms. These formalities were not the kind of tasks I enjoyed undertaking. Then again, having the life sucked out of me by parasitic life forms wasn't that much better. "This is not what I signed on for." I said to myself.  
  
"As I recall, you were drafted." A male voice shot out nowhere.  
  
I stood to attention and instinctively raised my arm in my usual attack fashion. "Who's there? Show yourself."  
  
"Relax Miss Aran. I'm only here to talk business." The fusion armor from before landed in front of me. I suppose he jumped off of my Gunship. "I only thought I should know the great Samus before I joined on with her."  
  
"Joined?..............I take it your Jack Cirrus." He was about my height, but his suit varied some from my own.  
  
"I am. I'm a commander in the Galactic Federation Army. I thought I should brief you on the situation." He spoke with a lighthearted tone in his voice, as if he knew that metroids were waiting and he wanted to take them all on at once.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"Tomorrow morning, we're going to the Magmoor region. We've scanned several Space Pirate data logs that told us about a chemical called Phazon. I'm told that you've had exposure to this chemical, am I right?"  
  
"You are. Proceed." Now I knew that the Federation was ignorant. When I reported back from my mission of simply investigating a distress call, I had told them of the dangers that Phazon presented. Perhaps I should have withheld this information for the better of the galaxy.  
  
"We know that you've warned us of the element before, so prior to this mission, we sent a scout ship ahead to bring a sample of Phazon, which was no easy task. After analysis, we were able to create suits of armor resistant it's poisoning for a very small number of troops."  
  
"Tell me, what use does the Federation intend to make of Phazon if they manage to contain it?"  
  
"I've haven't been informed of it. I assume that they'll put it to military use. In your report, you did say that it could be concentrated into a beam and used offensively, didn't you?"  
  
I remembered the Phazon beam. It cut through a metroid in under a second, and who knows the effects it may have had on other forms of life. "I did, but I didn't have sufficient time to test its effects. It could react adversely if it's not used under the proper circumstances."  
  
"A good point, but I'm only a commander. Even if I knew of it's effects, it would be out of my hands. Once those hard heads make a choice, they stick by it. Not to let them hear this of course."  
  
"It seems that you don't like working for them anymore than I do." He seemed to be a hypocrite. Adam had a similar attitude, but he would never say it directly to someone.  
  
"Ironic, isn't it?" In any case, we need to rest up. We set out tomorrow at 0900 hours. Get some sleep and meet me at the southern end of the carrier. We'll be in command of squads seventeen and eighteen. Farewell until then." He started off.  
  
"Hold on a second!" His attitude was almost identical to Adam's. I thought that maybe they had met somewhere. He stopped.  
  
"Objections, Miss Aran?"  
  
"..........nothing. I'll.....see you tomorrow." I returned to the interior of my ship to finish the paperwork. Tomorrow would be a long day. 


	2. Encounter

Location: Southern Hull of Federation Carrier "Defense Runner", CDR-1  
  
As I awaited the arrival of Miss Aran, I inspected squads seventeen and eighteen. Two groups of five each, and both composed of the most rag tag hunters in inner galaxy. I was to command squad eighteen and keep an eye on Samus and seventeen. As I finished calibrating the auto-lock mechanism on my arm cannon, Samus arrived at exactly 0900.  
  
"Sleep well Miss Aran?"  
  
"Let's just get this over with Jack. I didn't come here for the scenery." She seemed quite irritable for someone who was getting a very light sentence.  
  
"Very well. I'll take command of the five on the right, and you'll be in charge of the rest. Any objections?"  
  
".....no." Whenever I asked her if she had objections, she seemed to react in an unusual manner, as if it triggered something in her mind. I thought nothing of it at the time.  
  
"Okay. Let's move it out." We began with a two point eight mile hike down the eastern ridge of the Tallon Canyons. The rocky structures were like the back of a Sheegoth. The spiked edges of the rocks were incapable of being traversed by normal means. It's times like these that I thank the lord for grapple beams.  
  
"Yeehaw! This is the only way to getta round'!" The excitement of some of our motley crew was higher than others. Even the generous pay that the Federation was offering them, fear was still instilled in some of them. I opened a private communication channel between my armor and Samus'.  
  
"Seems money not only makes the world go round..."  
  
"Yeah. Also seems to remove fear." Her voice was a little more at ease. It must have been jumping down a cliff about three quarters of a mile above the nearest ledge that helped her unwind. "Tell me, why did the feds make another fusion suit?"  
  
"They were pleased with the results of your mission to the B.S.L. labs. When they heard that you had managed to defeat the "Nightmare" project, they immediately set out to complete a perfect copy of your fusion armor. The results are a suit armed with the capabilities of Varia, Gravity, and newly developed Phazon technology."  
  
"So what you're telling me is that your suit is on equal level to my own?"  
  
"As accurate as research and development could make it. You still have the interior frame from your original power suit. We couldn't very well copy the Chozo original."  
  
She looked down at the ground. We'd covered considerable distance, and we were ready to touch down. "Isn't this the target site?"  
  
"Yes. From here, we're to proceed into the caverns until we reach the Magmoor region. HQ will send a team to set up a base camp for us down here." Samus and I landed and waited for the rest to follow. It was at this time that I informed all of the hunters to ready their Ice Beam technology. "Remember, this is a research mission. If we encounter any new and unusual life forms, we must provide the CDR-1 with as much intelligence as possible. This can aide any reinforcements we may require in the field. Before we enter the caverns, does anybody have any questions?" A small hunter raised his hand.  
  
"Is there any truth to the rumors about these "metroids"?"  
  
"Miss Aran can answer your question better than I can. Samus, you take this one." I stepped down to let her take the stage.  
  
"Metroids are small parasitic organisms that are immune to conventional weaponry. However, they do seem to have a biological weakness to ice. If we utilize our Ice Beams, defeat shouldn't be an issue."  
  
"If that's the only question, then we'll get started. Everybody, activate some form of light. It won't be a walk in the park down there."  
  
Location: Two Miles into the Tallon Caverns  
  
The caverns were darker than any I'd ever navigated. As we advanced, I started to pick up life signs growing stronger as we continued. Soon, they began to surround us. "Hold up. We're not alone."  
  
"You've noticed them too?" Samus had clearly known about them for as long as I had, probably longer. The faint sound of squeaks began to move in. I didn't like the next word she said. "Metroids......"  
  
"Arm your ice artillery! Their here! Keep your guards up and try not to freeze each other!" I remember the last time my men used Ice weapons. My legs couldn't move for a week.  
  
And then I saw it. The small parasites that could wipe out an army in seconds were staring us right in the face. They quickly scattered and began to move in for the kill.  
  
"Watch it! If they touch you, you're dead!" Samus warned them as she began launching round after round of Ice shots. In the same manner, I began firing my rounds in an attempt to stop the alien aggressors. Then I noticed it. The ground beneath our feet was unstable. Every time a man moved, I heard a hollow clanking noise. It finally hit me. The Metroids could have attacked us earlier, but they had lured us here. We'd walked right into their trap.  
  
"Hold your fire! It's a trap!" I yelled my warning in vain. By the time the words were out, someone had already fired a missile. It missed it's target and slammed into the ground. The entire floor collapsed and took us with it for a very long fall. 


	3. Awakening

Setting: Tallon IV Underworld, ???????  
  
After falling down that hole, I could tell it was going to be one of those days. When I came around, my head was in pain, and I didn't see anybody else. Jack was gone too. I figured if anybody had survived, he would have. It reminded me of Adam again. "Ow....."  
  
"You seem to be okay, but it may hurt for a while." A squeaky voice told me. I looked up and saw a small hovering robotic creature.  
  
"Who......or what are you supposed to be?" It was small, boxy, and had two small wings. It looked odd, but it resembled a maintenance robot used in air vents by the Federation.  
  
"My name is ELM. Sir Jack told me to stay here until Mistress Aran awoke."  
  
"ELM? Does this stand for anything?"  
  
"Electronic Lightweight Mechanoid. Sir Jack told me to tell you that he's looking for a way out."  
  
"Well, that's just swell.....all alone in hell again." I looked at the mossy walls. There were some torches on the wall that had been lit. Probably Jack giving me a way to see. The bright glow hurt to look at. "Today could not possibly get any worse.....did he say anything else?"  
  
"Umm......oh yeah! He said that most of his power suit's functions had been knocked out of commission, and when he checked yours, he said they were knocked out too."  
  
I quickly raised my power cannon and checked the settings. Surely enough, the power beam was the only operational weapon, my missiles were missing, and the grapple beam was crushed beyond repair. "Great.....NOW things couldn't get any worse." My armor was also shattered in most locations. I brushed away all the shards that were loose. "Fusion armor is down to thirty three percent too.....damn."  
  
"Excuse me Mistress Aran....."  
  
"It's Samus. You don't need to be so proper in front of me."  
  
"Yes.....well, Samus....." For a robot, he sounded pretty uneasy. "I'm getting a vital sign reading from twenty yards to the south. Perhaps you should investigate."  
  
"Well, not much else to do in the middle of Planet Nowhere. Why not?" I got up, raised my power cannon, and began to walk south. I heard a familiar liquid-like noise approach. I didn't know what it was, but I was ready for the worst.  
  
"Miss Aran! Look out!" Elm yelled out from behind me.  
  
An ethereal being jumped in front of me. It looked like a ghostly Space Pirate, yet it had a crystalline body. "What the hell?!" I began firing without any regard for what he was capable of. Much to my disappointment, my shots reflected off of his skin.  
  
"Time to die Aran." It's voice was deep, and quite human-like. It raised it's arm and slammed me to the ground. He landed his foot on my cannon, and raised a blade on the other. "Goodnight!" he began to bring his arm down. My eyes clenched shut. I thought it was the end. "ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!" At the last second, an explosion rocked the creatures back.  
  
"What the?.............what happened here?"  
  
"Miss Aran, were you really about to give up so easily?" Jack's voice came from behind the monster. As it fell to it's knees, his figure appeared. His cannon was smoking.  
  
"I couldn't exactly move......what?!" I saw something rising from the fallen creature. It was something I never expected to encounter in the rest of my days. "A Core X Parasite!" I quickly grabbed it and prayed that the fusion armor would accept the parasite. "Urg.....Ahhhhh!" My power cannon began to change shape. The metal seemed to liquefy and take a new form. When the metal hardened, my arm held a missile launcher.  
  
"So these are the X-Parasites I've heard about.....The biological and technological qualities of the Fusion Armor are incredible......" Jack seemed intrigued, but I was rather bothered.  
  
"Don't you think we should worry about what this thing is?" I looked at the beast again. "What the.....it's a Space Pirate!" The body had altered itself after the parasite diffused.  
  
"The larger parasites seem to evolve in life forms at an accelerated rate.....the smaller ones seem to only be capable of inhabiting creatures." He bent over to get a closer look.  
  
"How did the parasites get here? I thought all of them were destroyed at the BSL labs......."  
  
"Not all of them Miss Aran. Some of them DID survive." He stood up. "They escaped inside of you."  
  
"Me?! What are you saying?"  
  
"Didn't you find it a bit odd when most of your Fusion armor's functions got destroyed when they were integrated biologically with your armor?"  
  
"Just what are you getting at?"  
  
"When you fused with an X-Parasite, you would have biologically fused with it due to the metroid cells in your blood. This would be the result if you were without the Fusion Armor."  
  
"Okay, now your making some sense. But what does this have to do with the Fusion Armor?"  
  
"Everything. You see, the Federation provided you with the Armor in hope that just in case you DID destroy the SA-X, they could recover a sample X from your suit."  
  
"I don't think I like where this is going."  
  
"It's only going to get worse as I continue. Are you sure you want me to go on?"  
  
"I'm an orphan who had to watch her only home get burned down and the only family she ever knew wiped out. I've been from one end of the galaxy to the other while being shot at, blown up, smacked aside, and thrown around like a rag doll. I think I can handle a few words."  
  
"Heh" he let out a brief laugh. Though only a second long, something seemed to shoot through his mind. "Anyway, the armor was built with metroid cells as well. This allowed the suit to merge with the parasite cores. Not you."  
  
"Your saying that the Feds sent me in as an investigator and a PETRI DISH?!"  
  
"Well, since you put it so elegantly....I suppose you could say that." He let out another laugh, amused by my comment.  
  
"Damn! I'm nothing more than a puppet to them! When I get out of here....."  
  
"IF you get out of here. In the meantime, we need to get you away from this planet. The parasites your suit fused with have clearly diffused with your armor. If they can evolve with some of the creatures on the planet AND gain phazon exposure, there is no telling what we may have to deal with."  
  
"Well, today just keeps getting better and better now doesn't it?" At the time, I thought I'd rather take on Kraid and Ridley at the same time. 


	4. Rise Of The Fallen

Location: Tallon Underworld, Upper Phazon Mine Shafts  
  
Samus seemed to be off her guard. If I had arrived a minute later, I'd have been alone in the depths of a planet of which I knew nearly nothing of. All I knew was that which Samus had reported.  
  
"So, where'd you go off to in this hell hole?" She asked with a grunt.  
  
"You sound irritated. Is something bothering you?"  
  
"Waking up alone and almost being killed by an X-Parasite mutated Space Pirate is not my ideal way of starting the day."  
  
"Point taken.....I thought I'd take a look around and see where we are. I saw some pretty unusual things while I was out."  
  
"You mean like him?" She pointed to the fallen alien. The corpse began to decay and smell as bad as the Federation's rations.  
  
"Something like that. Some of our fellow hunters were infected by X- Parasites. I ...had to gun down half of them." Not something I was proud of, but it was either them or myself.  
  
"Half of them doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. What happened to the rest?"  
  
"The rest were too battered for the parasites to make good use of. That's the good news."  
  
She took her helmet off and ran her hands through her hair. Despite my knowledge of this woman, it was the first time I had ever seen her face. She looked at me, and I nearly froze. I had expected a more tomboyish look, but this shocked me more than any creature I had ever encountered.  
  
"That's the good news?" she asked "Tell me that it gets better before it gets worse."  
  
"Umm....I'm afraid not." I saw ELM flying some distance off. "Elm! Go through that hole and get me a biological scan on the large metallic life form at the bottom of the chasm."  
  
The robot turned to me. "Yes sir Mister Cirrus." He was a very loyal assistant, but a little too proper for me. Samus giggled at the robot's speech, but quickly silenced after she realized something.  
  
She looked around. "This place looks familiar....." She turned to see a shattered window and a large mass of land suspended in the air by thick tree branches and vines. This looks like an elevator shaft in the Phazon mines....it's a little beat up......but I think that's where we are.....but if we're there, then what metallic creature are you talking about?"  
  
"It's been altered physically, but it looks to be the enhanced remains of the Space Pirate Ridley. Do you know what happened to him?"  
  
"Yeah. There was a space station in orbit around Tallon VI a few months ago. Soon after I landed, the station crashed into the planet. While I was up there, I read some stuff about them recovering his body from the remains of Zebes and rebuilding his body." She put her helmet back on, no longer able to bear the smell of the rotting body. "I chased him around the planet for a while and eventually killed him."  
  
"Hmm...." A vicious thought crossed my mind. "Samus, I think we may have trouble soon....."  
  
She grew silent. "Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"Ridley may be dead, but his body was in excellent condition the last time I saw him. If an X-Parasite were to take control of him, he could evolve to his full potential. And that's factoring in his strength without exposure to phazon!" That's when the cruel mistress know as Fate took action. A Core-X flew right behind me and dashed through the same hole ELM had flown through. "......tell me that did not just happen."  
  
"I could but I'd be lying." Samus got up and began climbing out of the pit as fast as she could. I followed, knowing that if the parasite was able to fuse with Ridley, hell would break out for the galaxy. I had only seen some of the rapid evolution an X-Parasite could deliver to smaller life forms. I didn't even want to know what the results would be for the most powerful creature I had ever seen. As Samus reached the top, she yelled to me. "Jack! Hurry! We've got a problem!"  
  
I climbed out and saw that we were too late. The gelatinous ooze was already fusing with Ridley. Sections of his armor began to light up. The armor on his body began to reform, and his eyes were glowing a fiery red. "I've never really seen this particular kind of thing before, but I'm guessing no good will come of it......" 


	5. A Hunter Reborn

Location: Chozo Ruins, Underside  
  
Seeing Ridley alive again was a nightmare for me. The fact that a parasite from my armor had fused with him could only mean a long fight ahead. He rose from the ground as rocks slid off his body and armor plates began to self recover. He roared as his stood to his full height and the sun shone off his metal surface.  
  
"Ahh...Samus Aran!" He looked down at me with flaring red eyes.  
  
"Can't you EVER stay dead?!" I yelled as I raised my cannon to him.  
  
"Samus!" Jack called to me. "We can't beat him as we are! We'd better fall back!"  
  
"What?" Ridley turned to Jack and took notice of his armor. "Ahhh...so the Federation has finally copied the Power Suit! Your cold dead corpse will make a fine research aide when I take you back to the laboratory."  
  
"Hah! Zebes is gone, and Federation officers have this entire planet under martial law! You have nowhere to run!" Jack raised his cannon. "It'll be easier if you surrender!"  
  
"Bah!" Ridley raised a claw and swept Jack aside. I could hear his armor crash against the rocks. "Just look at yourself. You couldn't put a dent in my armor, let alone force my surrender!" He returned his gaze to me. "Looks like I have two research subjects! Your no better off than he was!"  
  
"Maybe not, but have I ever lost to you?" I began firing round after round of ammo, but they just bounced off his thick metal hide.  
  
"Pathetic!" Ridley took to the sky with his newly repaired wings. Jack ran toward me and watched the beast fly off and begin to turn.  
  
"He's going to bomb us!" I said, recognizing this tactic from my final battle with him. As he swept by, bombs dropped as Jack and I leapt aside.  
  
"He's going to make another pass." Jack fired a missile that missed it's target by meters. "We can't keep this up forever....we need to run!"  
  
"No chance!" With a final swoop, he released a volley of bombs that destroyed the ground we stood on.  
  
"This just isn't my day...." I muttered as the ground gave way.  
  
Setting: Tallon IV Underworld, Underground Ruins  
  
"Uh.............." I awoke again to find myself in a room of yellow bricks and lit torches. How they had come to be lit was beyond me, but I welcomed any source of light in this unknown area.  
  
"Jack? Jack?" He wasn't anywhere to be seen. If he had fallen near me, he had run off on his own again. "Just perfect.......could today get any better?"  
  
"Snap"  
  
"Who's there?!" I turned to see a rat crawling through a hole. Just for mild amusement, I fired a shot to watch it scurry off. It relieved me of some boredom, but looking at a statue next to the hole, I found a salvation in disguise.  
  
"What the....." It was a large bird-like figure with a sphere in it's hand. I had encountered them before, and it only made me realize that the Chozo were always one step ahead of me. Seeing a large stone tablet with Chozo characters on it, I turned my barely operating scan visor on.  
  
"Hatchling, if you are here, then the time has come for you to fulfill your final destiny and restore order to the universe. A great evil is about to revive, and only the one possessing this artifact may deliver justice to it. Stand boldly on the altar and take the first step toward your deliverance from your life of strife and turmoil. We Chozo shall always watch over you Samus."  
  
".......it's my final destiny? Could they have forseen my final fight with Ridley coming?" Looking down, I saw a small rising in the stone floor. "I guess I'd better do this then. I've always wanted a normal life, but I can't believe that I can finally have one..." Stepping onto the altar, I raised my cannon at the sphere the statue held. "Chozo Elders......give me strength!" My gun fired and the stone sphere shattered into pieces. That's when it happened.  
  
The stone circle I stood on began to glow with a calm blue light. My body began to hover in the air. I felt a cleansing feeling through my entire body. Like I had died and had been brought back to life. My eyes closed as the feeling rushed through me. When I felt my feet touch down, I reopened my eyes. Something felt different about me, and yet familiar at the same time. Looking down, I took notice of my arms. The fusion components were no longer exposed. The thin layer of armor had become thick. Turning around, I saw myself in a mirror. It was my old power suit, fully restored and ready to fight again. 


End file.
